Saturday, 20 March 2010

Racism versus Nationalism

Both Thaksin and Sondhi have called out to the people saying that there is a difference between nationalism and ultra-nationalism. Maybe a better way to translate it would be, between loving the country and using nationalistic themes to stir up a frenzy.

Perhaps a bit of nationalism is nice, after all in this day of open markets and political correctness, the new generation are being deprived of the concept of being nice to one's neighbour and instead are taught that economics are all; that the lowest price from anyone within the trade area is fine even if it means your local shop goes out of business. But I digress.

Both say the same thing but how do the red shirts feel when Jatuporn rants again and again about the Prime Minister's grandfather coming from Vietnam? How do the Chinese Thais (the sector I feel are the elite, though apparently Thaksin has other ideas) feel when the derogatory word, "Jek" is used to describe them?

In front of the 11th regiment, Jatuporn, announcing the blood letting drive, said that Thai blood would boil and that the Prime Minister's grandfather was Vietnamese. Yes, his Grandfather.

I do not even feel I have to start going into the different shades of nationalism. The PAD's most visible leader was clearly Chinese in name, but not in manner. His Thai was perfect and IMHO Sondhi speaks much better and more proper Thai than Thaksin. At least he can differentiate and pronounce his R's and L's.

PAD's nationalism was more inclusive, about the Chinese, the Muslims, even Farang, everyone who grew up under the royal shade, for lack of a better translation The Redshirt's nationalism is not even nationalism. It is racism. Only pure Thai blood will boil.

This is my opinion. You do not have to agree with me.
เขียนโดย Don Sambandaraksa ที่ 15:46
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1 ความคิดเห็น:

  1. You're right to condemn racism. Anyone with Thai citizenship should be equal in the eyes of the law. And everyone regardless of citizenship should be equal in the eyes of morality. This point we agree on.

    But then you turn around and compare Thais based on their accents, which is every bit as racist and silly as comparing them based on their bloodlines. That you're saying Sondhi is 'less Chinese' (and, implicitly, 'more Thai') than Thaksin is to play the very game you claim to condemn.

    There is no pure Thai blood. Simple as that. When the several Tai tribes dispersed throughout the region, they began intermingling and mixing with the Champa, the Mon, the Khmer who were already in the area.

    The several Tai tribes have intermixed. When Sukhothai was absorbed by Ayutthaya, those two tribes mixed.

    When Lan Na and Lan Xang were invaded by Siam, their tribes mixed. During the umpteen battles between the Burmese, the Lao, the Khmer, and the Siamese, women were captured, races were mixed.

    Traders from Europe have been in Southeast Asia for more than 500 years. Merchants from the Middle East have been here even longer. The Chinese just as long, and came by the hundreds of thousands during the Ayutthaya and Bangkok periods.

    We have to get over the inherent racism involved on both sides. Being light or dark-skinned, speaking a certain way, speaking a certain language, following a certain religion, having certain political beliefs -- none of these things make a person more or less Thai. And as long as both sides continue to make assertions of these sort, both are reprehensible.
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